Wish Upon A Star
by Rend
Summary: [Post Meteor, No Compilation] When a virtuous person makes a selfless wish, if they want it badly enough, sometimes just sometimes it can come true [ChocoboheadxTifa...akaCloudTifa]
1. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII any of it's characters and/or references.**  
**

**Wish Upon A Star**

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Chapter 1:**

…_Aftermath…_

It had been one week since Sephiroth had been defeated, and the threat meteor had been vanquished. Shinra was also finished, the company was damaged beyond repair and all their funds lost in the process. The once thriving city of Midgar had been become a ghost town. The citizens had all been evacuated to Kalm and Junon. Now however was the time for rebuilding, and mourning. As for Crisis Avalanche they had had gone to their safe haven in Cosmo Canyon, what awaited them was a week of celebrations.

Tifa Lockhart was inside the bathroom within her quarters. She heard the cheers of the celebrations going on outside. She had partaken of the festivities all week long however now she was nervous and trembling.

It was late evening in Cosmo Canyon, it was also the time of day when the town was most beautiful, but Tifa couldn't see it from within the walls of her temporary residence. The walls comprised of a red tile on all sides. There was a sink in front of her, and a shower to her right. Her hand nervously holding the pregnancy test, it was shaking violently in her nervous hand but it never left her grip

"How much longer is this going to take?" she asked herself, fear evident in her voice.

Fear was something she had grown accustomed to during her travels, the fear to death, the fear of getting hurt, the fear of losing a close friend, however on all these occasions her fear was banished by her closest friend, one who always kept her close to him during battles and kept his promise to protect her. Of course at this moment she was afraid of even him, if the test should come out positive, then it could change their relationship forever.

Her hands stop trembling, and the pregnancy test was held firmly in her hand as she her lowered her head.

"Cloud..." she whispered softly.

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Outside in the open area between the canyon numerous amounts of tents were set up, there was one however that stood out from the rest, it was rectangular in shape and longer than all the others, it was also where most of the members of Crisis Avalanche were currently located. A large buffet table at the center of the tent ran its entire length, on it a wide exotic variety of food were displayed. A tired blue-eyed blond-haired swordsman walked into the tent; still in his Soldier attire he scanned the tent for his companions.

"Hey Cid, has Barret arrived back yet?" The younger blond asked an older blond-haired man dressed in a plain blue t-shirt and long dark green trousers.

"He should be back soon, he's been gone for the past two days, that bastard how long does it take to reach Kalm and back!" Cid exclaimed.

The youth didn't reply he quietly excused himself once again turned his attention of the other characters within the tent, aside from Barret who had gone two Kalm to pick up his adoptive daughter Marlene one other member of Crisis Avalanche was missing. His eyes scanned the tent quickly and thoroughly, when he didn't find any trace of her a pang of fear and worry came over him. Since Cid was so loud the blue-eyed boy decided to ask someone else about the missing member.

"Looking for someone Cloud?" A deep male voice asked.

Cloud quickly turned to his side to see Vincent standing beside him.

"Vincent," Cloud said the worry present in his voice, "Have you seen Tifa?"

"No," Vincent replied, "She hasn't come down from her room since daybreak."

Cloud exhaled a sigh of relief, she was still in her room although it was odd for her still to be there, perhaps he could drop in to check on her.

As he prepared to leave the tent two local girls approached him, both were clinging to each other's arms and were both blushing and giggling as they approached him. They were both dressed in red, one had a two piece outfit, her skirt reached to her knees and had a ponytail, the other in one long dress also reaching to her knees but her hair was loose reaching to her shoulders, both girls were fairly pretty. Cloud smiled awkwardly at them, interaction with others were a problem for him, of course he was fine with the members of Crisis Avalanche, they had traveled together for so long shared their pasts and dreams. But now with strangers the awkwardness he had before began to build up and no longer harboring traces of Zack's persona made it all the more worse, add to the fact it was girls, he wanted to run away at the moment they approached him. The only girls he felt comfortable around were Tifa, Aerith and Yuffie.

But maybe they would just walk past him by or they had him mixed up with someone else. Or so he thought or rather hoped.

"Hey Cloud," One of them said in a flirtatious tone.

"Uhh…hey," Cloud replied awkwardly.

Both girls giggled to each other, "So Cloud," the other girl spoke, "We were wondering if you could help us with something?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at their statement.

-------------

Tifa sat on top the seat of the toilet, before she had been waiting for the results, and it seemed like an eternity, but eternity had passed and the results would surely be in by now, she had left it by the sink, not wanting to look at it. But now the anxiousness and nervousness began to settle in. Her heart was racing, she could feel each thump within her chest and hear it as loud as thunder, she could also hear the music from the outside celebrations clearly, half of her wondering if Barret had brought Marlene here yet. But her attention once again settled on the pregnancy test.

Questions once again filled her mind, questions like: How would Cloud react? Would he even want a child? Would he still accept her?

She shook her head trying to eliminate all the questions, though she had many fears, there was a small light within her that secretly prayed for it to be positive. Realizing that she wasn't getting anywhere just contemplating and it was only adding to her stress, she walked over to the sink, but as she lifted up the test she closed her eyes. When it was directly in front her field of vision she slowly opened her eyelids, letting her ruby eyes view what had been the cause of her recent worry.

They was a brief calm serenity, the sound of the music died, her heart rate dropped, she could no longer hear it, she could no longer hear the outside world. The only thing that mattered to her now was what her eyes saw. She dropped the test onto the bathroom floor, her body slid down away from the sink; the young female hugged her knees and buried her head in them.

"I'm pregnant…" The twenty-year-old muttered softly to herself.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Okay, this is going to be a multi-chaptered fic, so don't worry, first chapter is kinda short but the next one will be up shortly. Oh yeah Crisis Avalanche is a fan-made terms that I got hooked on using, I didn't invent it but an acquaintance of mine did.  



	2. Towards Tomorrow

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIIany of it's characters and/or references.

Well I said this chapter would be up soon and would be longer, so enjoy.**  
**

**Chapter 2:**

… _Towards Tomorrow …_

It had taken a few minutes for Tifa to recover from the shock; she had remained silent on the bathroom floor her body curled up. After she recovered she went into her bedroom and got changed, dressed in her usual white tank top and black miniskirt, she prepared to join her comrades in their celebration, and hopefully to find a certain mako infused swordsman among them. As she walked out her room she tried her hardest to push the though of the results of the pregnancy test behind her but it kept coming back like a lingering shadow. A child, she was going to bare a child, within the next year she would be a mother, also add to the fact of whose baby it was she couldn't help but smile. She deliberately ignored the other thoughts that came: of him possibly not wanting to have the child.

When she came down from the enclave and onto the open canyon it was already nightfall, however it did not mean that the celebrations were over; there were cords with small bulbs on them that ran above the tents. The music was still loud and the tents were now all completely open, she went over to the tent where the other members of Crisis Avalanche were gathered, it wasn't the same one as with the food, this one was different it was circular in shape, there was a wooden platform within it also in the shape of the tent, on this platform numerous couples were folk dancing to the music. As Tifa's eyes scanned the dance floor, she made out Cid dancing with Shera; of course he was a bit off time and looked completely drunk, well he would have to be, in order to be folk dancing.

"Tifa!" A young female voice squealed out.

The raven-haired beauty immediately turned around to see a small female child come running up to her. The child hand short light brown hair, she was very small only around six-years-old, and dressed in a one piece orange dress with a blue ribbon in her hair.

"Tifa!" The girl squealed again as she tried to grab hold of the older female.

"It okay Marlene," Tifa replied and she knelt down to meet the child at her own height. The child jumped into Tifa's arms.

"I was so scared I would never see you or Cloud or papa ever again!" Marlene exclaimed, "There were these giant bright lights that came up from the ground, they were everywhere Tifa." Marlene explained excitedly as she broke the embrace and tried to show Tifa using hand gestures.

Tifa in return smiled at Marlene, she played with the girl's already messy hair with one hand, her other hand however subconsciously came over her exposed stomach and gently rubbed it. She smiled at Marlene, Marlene smiled back the young woman, she was beaming with happiness after finally being reunited with her father and friends. Tifa couldn't help but think of her own unborn child at that moment, the infant that had barely begun to develop in her womb. The ruby-eyed maiden kissed Marlene on her cheek; she looked over Marlene's shoulder to see Barret standing behind her, Tifa nodded at him.

"Hey Barret, finally got back huh?" Tifa asked.

"Hmph, you'll never believe all the people that got stuffed into Kalm, I hear Junon is even worse," Barret complained, "Damn Shinra, it's all their damn fault!"

Tifa placed her hands over Marlene's ears so she wouldn't hear Barret's final remark.

"Barret, please watch you language around Marlene!" Tifa scolded him.

Barret immediately shut his mouth, Tifa the removed her hands from around Marlene's ears, she smiled at the younger girl, "You must be tired after your long journey, sweetie, did you eat anything on your journey here?"

"Papa only gave me rations," Marlene complained to Tifa.

Tifa looked up at Barret and glared at him, Barret immediately swallowed a lump of air as a chill ran down his spine.

"Well how about we get you a decent meal, a warm bath then a warm bed," Tifa said smiling at Marlene before looking up at Barret, he simply nodded.

"That sounds great," Marlene chimed in.

"Here come, let's go get some food," Barret said taking Marlene's hand.

"Alright, bye bye Tifa," Marlene said and walked off with her adoptive father.

All the while, Tifa didn't know it but most of the conversation Tifa was rubbing her abdomen. Sighing she stood upright but her calm train of though was quickly disturbed by an annoying yet familiar voice.

"Hiya Tifa!" a playful girl said as she jumped in front of Tifa's line of view.

She was slightly shorter than Tifa, her hair barely reaching to her elbows; she wore a fitted green top and brown khaki shorts, she also had a headband across her forehead.

"Hey, Yuffie," Tifa answered.

"Where ya been whole day, it was boring being her all day by myself," Yuffie wined.

"Sorry about that, but I had some things to care off," Tifa replied.

"Oh okay," Yuffie answered slightly annoyed.

"Have you seen Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Maybe you should check the dance floor," Yuffie answered.

Tifa's attention to the platform where the couples were still dancing, it seemed that Cid had an early retirement, as Shera now had a new dancing partner, he had long dark hair with a pair of crimson eyes that matched Tifa's as well as a long red cape.

"Is that Vincent!" Tifa gasped.

Yuffie turned her attention to the dance floor, "Well at they very least the folk dancing stopped, damn what I would have given to see that vampire folk dance."

Tifa chuckled to herself, then she saw him, though his back was turned away from her she recognized him immediately, she could recognize him anywhere, and it wasn't because of his outstanding hairstyle. Every time her eyes cast themselves on him it was like looking at him for the first time and being completely rapt, a smile formed on her lips, however the smile was short lived. What she saw next filled her with an alien rage. Cloud was dancing with one of the local girls. It was a slow song and his arms were around her with her's around him. Tifa gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. Yuffie immediately recognized the change in Tifa and began to back away slowly. Despite Tifa's slender and petite figure, the girl could punch through a reinforced steel door.

"Umm…Tifa?" Yuffie called out.

Tifa immediately calmed down once Yuffie said her name, she turned to her friend and nodded, however once she turned back to the dance floor, she realized Cloud was looking directly at her, their eyes connected with each other, Tifa however was unable to hold her gaze and quickly broke contact, she smiled sadly and began walking away leaving Yuffie behind but didn't even notice that Cloud had begun to trail behind her.

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The two girls that had approached Cloud earlier in the day had somehow coaxed him into dancing with both of them, how it had come to this, he didn't know. Cloud couldn't help but feel a strange uneasiness and awkwardness as he danced with presumably a younger girl and had his arms around her. Awkwardness was a mild way of putting it, he was wanted to leave although he held up the front that he was enjoying it, all to often his mind would shift to a certain raven-haired female and what she was probably doing. That was until he felt an unexplained heat burning through him. It was intense, the same as being hit by a firaga spell, although he was not actually on fire, he could feel the heat. So the blond-haired swordsman released his hold on the girl, not noticing her confused expression and turned around.

That's when their eyes connected. Though there was a fair distance between them and despite the sea of people between them they could see each other firmly, it was as if time had pulled both of them out from the rest of the people. Cloud saw something in her eyes, they were filled with both hate and disgust. He continued to watch her as she brought her shoulder around and turned away from him. However as her first steps she took to move away from him, he lashed forward leaving the female he was dancing with behind in bewilderment. Interrupting the numerous other couples that were dancing by colliding with them, the blue-eyed warrior made no attempt to offer apologies he just kept moving forward colliding with even more couples but ignoring them and their remarks, he was only concerned with trying to close the distance between both him and the raven-haired beauty.

He had finally made his way across the dance floor.

"Hey Cloud!" Yuffie cheered trying to start a conversation, however she was ignored as Cloud burst into a sprint, he was so close now.

"Wait, Tifa!" Cloud called out when he was only a few feet away from her.

However despite being able to hear him Tifa kept walking away from him, both her arms cradled in front of her stomach.

"Hey wait," Cloud called out once more, this time his hand grabbed one of her shoulders, when it pulled her hand away from her stomach he let his grip drop to her palm.

Without waiting for Cloud to say another word, the young female spun around to face him, anger was present within her crimson orbs.

"Let go," She said firmly, Cloud could also hear the tone of malice within her voice, malice directed at him. Cloud was too shocked to respond, he never expected her to direct malice towards him especially after the night they both shared under the Highwind.

"I said let go!" Tifa said a little more loudly, letting her anger leak into her voice.

Without waiting for him to loosen his grip, she violent pulled her hand away before she started running away from him as fast as her long slender legs could carry her.

Cloud was still in shock at the tone Tifa had used with him, it was so unlike her, however once he saw that the distance between them had grown larger than before and the gap still increasing he took off towards her again. He didn't know what he was going to say, or what had just occurred or if he should leave her alone, all that he knew was that he was following her for an unknown reason if nothing else, then to have her company.

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Tifa didn't know how long she was running or why she was even running away from Cloud, especially when she had to tell him she was going to have his child all that she knew was that she had to run away, it was more of an instinct than anything else. Now however she knew she had run a long distance away from the town because in front of her, now there were trees that had started to grow into a small developing forest. The female stopped running, though it was a long distance and her breathing rate had increased she didn't need to stop to catch her breath, she walked forward gracefully and calmly until she saw a large rock drenched into the earth, it was huge, even she would have trouble lifting it up. But at the same time the rock was extremely familiar, it looked similar to the one she and Cloud sat on, the night they conceived the unborn child.

She didn't know it but a small smiled formed on her lips as she moved towards the rock, she sat down on the rock and relaxed her body, her face lifted towards the heavens, what awaited her were countless stars that lit up black abyss above her, some brighter than others, some forming intricate designs. Tifa exhaled a sigh before she spoke to herself.

"I wonder my little one, if you can see what I'm seeing right now?" Tifa asked herself softly, although it was a rather ridiculous question as the child had barely begun to develop or perhaps she was speaking to its soul.

"Who are you speaking to?" A new voice called out.

Tifa broke her gaze on the brilliant lights above her to look directly in front of her, where the new voice originated from. There she saw the spiky-haired swordsman that she had an earlier encounter with, upon seeing him she immediately became saddened.

"Can I sit next to you?" Cloud asked.

Tifa nodded, no longer looking at him.

Cloud approached her and sat on the empty space of the rock beside her, he could feel her sadness bleeding from her. Somehow it also managed to make him sad also. He also made a mental note of the similarity of the rock she was sitting on and the one they sat on before the battle with Sephiroth. As he sat beside her she laid down on the hard surface of the rock and gazed back up at the night sky. Following her, he also laid back down on the rock.

"Can I ask what you're thinking?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing in particular, just about recent events," Tifa answered.

There was brief pause, there were many questions Cloud wanted to ask her, particularly about her earlier actions with him, however he also didn't want to upset her.

"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" Even he would admit that was a very cheesy and cliché statement however he said it with sincerity, it was an honest observation and statement that he had made.

"I guess they are," Tifa replied.

It seemed that Tifa wasn't pursuing the conversation but rather trying to brush him off, and it was killing him.

Cloud sat up, "Tifa is something wrong?" He asked.

Tifa sat up also, "I'm sorry Cloud, I just, things are difficult for me right now, and I guess it's making me depressed."

"Well that's why I'm here, you don't have to face your problems alone, you can share them with me also, remember you did the same thing to me when we were in the lifestream," Cloud explained to her, "You took on my problem and helped me though it each step of the way, now let me return to favor but I can't help you if you won't let me in."

He could feel the change in her mood; the sadness had disappeared almost instantly. Cloud looked down at the space between both him and Tifa, he saw her hand laying on the rock, slowly but deliberately he inched his hand closer to hers until it laying on top hers. When they had connected he closed his hand on her's and Tifa responded by closing her grasp also. She immediately turned to him and smiled, it wasn't a sad, face or small smile that she had come to give to frequently, but a genuine one, one she had not given since their night of passion.

Cloud smiled back at her, "Are you alright now?" He asked.

"I guess I will be…as long you're here," Tifa stated.

Cloud smiled again, "I'll always be here from now on."

Tifa looked down at the rock beneath her, "Cloud, do you ever think of Aerith? I mean do you miss her?"

Cloud sighed, he shifted his gaze from her to the star filled heavens, "This may sound strange or maybe even cruel, but I hardly ever think of her, I can barely even remember her or even us traveling together before I fell into the lifestream."

Tifa remained silent, "So you don't remember her?"

"No I remember her and our travels, but it feels strange, like they're not really my memories," He went on to explain.

"But they were your memories," Tifa added, "But I guess I can understand what you're saying, you weren't exactly yourself."

Cloud turned to her and smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, you know, I had so much of Zack's personality it's like looking at one of his memories but it's actually mine, and Aerith, well I feel like I didn't really know her to begin with."

Tifa scooted over closer to him, and put her free arm around him, she also rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Cloud, you're fine now," The ruby-eyed maiden commented.

"Yeah, it's all thanks to you," He added.

"No, no, I didn't do anything!" Tifa immediately protested.

"Now you're just being modest, it was you who did all the work inside my head, sorting out all my memories….learning about my childhood crush on you, face it Tifa, if it weren't for you I wouldn't be here today." Cloud explained.

Tifa remained silent, she only smiled, she wanted to ask him 'What now?' she also wanted to tell him about the baby, this would be the perfect time to tell him that she was pregnant, and that he was going to be a father, however something inside kept her from telling him, it was like being bound yet wanting to roam free, this unknown feeling kept her from telling him, despite how desperately she wanted to tell him.

Cloud got up and took Tifa with him; she was still holding his hand, they walked forward a bit, until they both realized there was a ledge a few feet in front of them, neither had noticed it before. As they looked down they could see in the distance that the party was still continuing in Cosmo Canyon, the bright lights were a dead giveaway.

Cloud repositioned himself so he stood behind her, his arms coming over both sides of her shoulders and resting on top her stomach. With one hand Tifa held both his hands in place, the other went up to his neck and began to massage it.

"Cloud," Tifa whispered softly.

The blond-haired warrior rested his chin on her shoulder, they both looked at each other and smiled once more before looking out at Cosmo Canyon.

"From tomorrow, well start a new life Tifa…everything will be different," Cloud told Tifa who was still trapped in his embrace, "I promise."

To Be Continued…

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Well there second chapter up, no the story isn't finished, it's now started. So show your support and leave a review, or not, it's your choice. 


	3. Portrait

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of it's characters and/or references portrayed within this fanfiction.

Well it's been a short while since my last chapter, here's chapter three, enjoy:

Warning: this chapter may be cheesy, if it is then please forgive me.

**Chapter 3:**

…_Portrait…_

Tifa looked outside the frozen window of her house in Icicle Inn, or rather both her and Cloud's house. Though at this moment Cloud was not home, but rather out hunting a pack of wild behemoths that had been raiding the town and injuring travelers, normally she would have accompanied him but not in her present condition with an infant still developing in her womb. The raven-haired female sighed; she was dressed in her usual white tank top she always wore but replaced her black mini-skirt with short thin black pants that stopped just short of her knees, occasionally her exhales would condense the frozen glass window even more than it already was. She was not worried about Cloud, she had faith in him and knew that a pack of behemoths, no matter how fearsome they were would be vanquished, but even though she knew this she still wished for him to return soon. She sighed again.

It had been now been one week since Crisis Avalanche had disbanded, one week since she had learnt she was carrying an unborn, she still hadn't told Cloud yet, partly because she was afraid to tell him, but sooner or later she would have to tell him especially when she started to show, but right now is was easy to hide that she was pregnant. When the group separated and went their different ways, they spilt their combined accumulated Gil and materia, Yuffie being her usual self tried to walk away with more than her share but she was reprimanded by both Barret and Cid. Cloud however kept all the summon materia with him, no one objected to this, but the rest of the materia and Gil was evenly distributed amongst the group. Cid of course kept the airship with him.

It was using those funds that Tifa and Cloud managed to purchase their house in Icicle Inn, first they had gone to Nibelheim, but a feeling of nostalgia came over them, deciding to start anew the two friends parted with ways with their companions there, Yuffie said she would return to Wu-tai, though what she says and what she does are two different things, Red XIII once again returned to Cosmo Canyon, Cid to Shera in Rocket town, Vincent disappeared once again most likely to his seclude in the Shinra mansion basement and Barret and Marlene went home to Corel. This just left Cloud and Tifa, the two friends had a silent understanding with each other, an unspoken agreement, that they would never again leave each other's side. So it came as no surprise to Tifa when Cloud told her that they would find a new place where they could begin their new life together.

Tifa was happier than she ever had been, or she should have been but the lingering thoughts of her unborn dominated most of her thoughts.

The house they both lived in now, wasn't very big, it was a plain two story house, however it was big enough to accommodate the entire cast of Crisis Avalanche should there be a reunion. Tifa sat in the living room, near the windowsill looking out the frosted glass, she could barely make out the sheet of white snow outside but it didn't bother her, that isn't what had her attention, her mind was in the stars thinking about a certain blond-haired swordsman.

"Cloud," Tifa whispered softly clutching her hands up in front her chest and lowering her eyes to the ground beneath her.

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Scattered on landscape surrounding a blue-eyed, spiky-haired warrior, the mutilated corpses of no less than eight behemoths lay. They had been garroted an impaled, their blood painted the once virgin white snow that filled the mountain range with deep crimson, now however only one behemoth stood menacingly in front the young warrior.

Cloud was dressed in his usual Soldier attire however with the snow he also wore another piece of clothing, it was a thick brown cloak that covered his entire body. This last beast that stood before him was slightly larger than his other prey and with a thick grey mane by its head, however it did little to intimidate the swordsman.

The beast launched it's claws at Cloud, but the young warrior evaded it and leapt into the air, the pack leader moved to counter attack Cloud while he was airborne, but the time it took for him to position himself, Cloud's buster sword descended onto the purple beast's flesh, the sword seared it's way through it's flesh, the beast shrieked in pain and fell back, but the damage from Braver was already done. As it collapsed on the snow filled ground, its severed head fell forward and the crimson fluid polluted the pure snow.

As Cloud finished dealing with the last of the behemoths he fell forward but used his right knee to break his fall. He also stuck the blood-stained buster sword into the ground to support him. His unwavering form he held in front the behemoth leader was gone as he held onto the buster sword with both his hands to support him and started panting heavily. The materia slots in the sword was facing the young blond boy, within both slots were a green glowing orb and a similar red one. The green orb began glowing dimly, and the streams of light that protruded barely reached the swordsman, however the light held the air of reverence and divinity within it.

It only took a few seconds before the light faded and Cloud was no longer gasping for breath, he removed his right hand from the grip of the sword and brought it in front of his face. He looked down at his gloved hand, he clenched it and opened it several times.

"From point two seven(.27) to one point one nine(1.19)," Cloud finally said, "Almost an entire second." He said sadly

After that it only took a few minutes for him to regain his former self, then took back off towards Icicle Inn, it was roughly a one hour walk from where he was, but he smelt something in the atmosphere, a blizzard was coming it and he wanted to make it home before it arrived.

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Tifa had finally moved from her position in the living room, it was boring when you had nothing to do, but she managed to conjure the resolve that she was going to tell Cloud today…yes today was the day she would tell him…no matter what.

A letter had arrived in the mail, addressed to Cloud, Tifa had briefly stepped outside into the frigid cold to retrieve it. She noted that it was different from regular letters in that it was not in a plain white envelope but rather a red and gold one. It was addressed to Cloud and the writing on the envelope was rather exotic, it really started to make Tifa think; they had been only been living here for a week and not even all the members of Crisis Avalanche knew where they lived, so for a letter to come addressed to him was rather strange.

However she quickly brushed off the thought and proceeded to go into the kitchen where she would prepare a meal, but as she stepped out of the entranceway and into the kitchen she heard the door open, operating on instinct she spun around quickly, the reaction was almost instantaneous, but as the door slowly creaked open, the familiar sight of a blond-haired swordsman came into view.

"Cloud!" Tifa proclaimed slightly annoyed.

Cloud still had his cloak over his body and it was littered with snow flakes, there were also countless snowflakes on his hair as well.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked slightly confused.

"Did you have to enter like that, I thought you were a burglar," Tifa said.

"Well a burglar wouldn't have a key, now would they?" Cloud responded with a smirk.

Tifa merely shook her head, she walked up to him and handed him the letter.

"Here this came for you," She explained handing him the letter.

Cloud placed his now ungloved hand gently on Tifa's and took the letter but not before letting his short fingernails graze her flawless skin.

Tifa smiled at him in response and watched as he took out the letter and read it. He opened the decorated envelope and took out a single piece of paper and was three prong folded. He opened it and begun reading. Tifa watched as Cloud's crystal-blue eyes scanned the document before him.

"Well?" She asked when he lowered it.

"It's from Dio," Cloud replied.

"Dio?" Tifa asked slightly confused, "What's it about?" She asked.

"It's an invitation to a tournament, he moved the coliseum from the Gold Saucer and build a new one at the heart of Costa del Sol, and we've been invited," Cloud explained.

The ruby-eyed maiden looked at him questioningly. Cloud ignored the document in his hands and let his lips curl a bit, it felt good to be back home…home…here this house with Tifa…it felt strange, he hadn't had a home for over five years but now it felt…comfortable.

"I'll think about this later," Cloud said, "But what about you, how was your day?" He asked.

Tifa smiled at him, "Well if you must know, it was really boring, but we can talk about that later, how about you get changed first, that clothes must be cold and uncomfortable."

Cloud nodded and walked up the staircase near the entrance to the second floor, where his and Tifa's bedrooms were located, Tifa stood in the corridor at the base of the staircase and watched as Cloud ascended then as he turned the corner and disappeared. She smiled weakly before turning to head back towards the kitchen, she would also prepare a meal for Cloud also, and he would be hungry after his morning job.

As Cloud entered his room, he removed his sword from its holster and placed on the desk that lay opposite his bed. There was a window on the northern side of the room with the curtains that were presently drawn and the entrance of the room on the wall opposite it, his bed lay to the right parallel to the entrance and a desk by the wall opposite, there was also a large cabinet near to the desk that housed his clothes.

Sighing heavily he removed his shirt, sat back on the bed and once again looked down at his hand; he clenched it and opened it several times. However a soft knock on the door interrupted his depressive mood, his eyes shooting up facing directly in front of him when he heard the sound, it was as if he had now awoken from a slumber.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice called from outside, her voice soft and caring.

"It's open Tifa," Cloud replied.

And with his response she opened the door and entered only to be graced by the sight of a shirtless Cloud, his top half exposed for her to see; there were few barely visible scars, and his muscles were extremely well developed, he wasn't overdeveloped but still well built.

"Umm, Tifa?" Cloud asked awkwardly, his cheeks polluted with pink from the way Tifa was staring at him.

Cloud's voice snapped Tifa out of her daydream. She quickly turned away from him blushing, "Ahh…sorry about that, I just wanted to tell you that I'm finished making lunch, so come downstairs when you're ready."

Cloud smiled awkwardly, "Alright I'll be down shortly, let me just take a quick shower."

She turned to him, he was still standing near his bed and she was still by the entrance. She smiled as she looked at his handsome face, she wanted to tell him right now, it was the perfect opportunity, her hands somehow sensing her thoughts made their way to her exposed stomach….but yet there were some lingering feelings. Tifa didn't know when it happened but she had turned away from him and was preparing to leave when Cloud's voice once again caught her attention.

"Tifa," Cloud called out.

Remaining in her position facing away from him, she turned her head around, "Yes?" She asked.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Cloud said.

This caught her by surprise; she turned around to face him, "What are you thanking me for?"

Cloud took a few steps forward, there was a little over a feet separating them, "Well for everything, for supporting me through everything, I know it may be late and long overdue, but thanks."

Tifa smiled at him and shook her head, "Cloud, don't ever change," She said softly with a trace of sorrow present.

"Huh?" The blond-haired warrior asked.

"Remember, I did all those things because I wanted to, because I…" Tifa trailed off, her voice became quiet towards the end and she looked down on the floor.

"Not just for supporting me…but also for staying with me…through everything…and even now," Cloud explained.

She now looked back up at him, "Well when you're ready come downstairs I'll be waiting for you," And with those final words she left, her heart racing, thought it would be nearly impossible to count the number to beats each one echoed through her ears, her everything was begging her to tell him, yet for some strange reason something in her heart kept her from tell him about his child, it was like a splinter etched deep within there halting her actions by causing a small but noticeable pain.

-------------

It was nighttime, and the blizzard had finally arrived and was in full force, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, powerful gusts of frigid wind carried with it hailstorms of snow and deposited on the white earth. The entire town was silent, there no lights out, every opening on every house was closed and it seemed like they were all asleep.

Yet despite all this Cloud stood on the balcony of his house, it was located on the second floor, the furniture that they had out on the balcony had been carried into the house, there was a large arch behind him that lead to the inside of the house and large glass doors taking the shape of the arch that were previously sealed, but now opened by Cloud. The icy wind would even make the snow wolves shiver, yet Cloud remained calm, he was dressed only in his long Soldier pants that he usually slept in, there were no boots on his feet, no t-shirt on his chest, no sword holster on his back, his eyes looked up, it was nearly impossible to see the sky, but the winds were letting up, they were no longer as strong as they once were.

Behind Cloud another figure stood silently in the shadows, one of a slender young woman dressed in a long red robe, she stealthily approached him from behind, making sure her footsteps were as quite as a cat's.

Cloud remained oblivious to the other person's presence until he sensed them a short distance behind him, he could obviously turn around to meet them if they meant him harm but he felt not the slightest trace of malice from the person, so he just let it go. Then he felt it, it was like falling into a volcano, two slender hands gracefully made their way around his waist and embraced him from behind, the touch was warm and the sensation of the bare skin against his was maddening.

"Cloud what are you doing out here?" Tifa asked pressing her face against his back.

"I was just thinking," Cloud replied, he didn't turn around to face her, but he once more brought his hand in front of him and repeated the motion he did twice before during the day (clenching it and opening it).

"It's so cold Cloud, let's go back inside," The raven-haired female suggested.

"The coliseum tournament starts in one week, I think…I would like to go," Cloud sounded like a child asking permission.

"Well if you want you, we'll go, we might see some of the others there also," Tifa agreed, her voice was both soft and supportive

"Tifa…thanks again," Cloud finished, lowering his hand to his side and a smirk on his lips.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Well I think this last chapter was a bit cheesy, but necessary nonetheless, you'll see why in future chapters. If anyone has trouble understanding the title of the chapters, if you leave a signed review I'll explain it in the reply. To everyone who read this chapter I hope you enjoyed it, to those who took time off and reviewed my previous chapters, that's alot, you're my inspiration, I know I have two more fics to update, I'll get around to it very shortly. Just think of this as a new years gift, I hope you all had a safe and merry Christmas and I wish you all many blessings in this new year. 

To Rina Statics...I know it may seem unoriginal now, but don't worry the plot is now developing, but thanks for the review.

Till Next Time...Happy New Year to everyone, you, your family and your friends.

-Rend


	4. Prelude

Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy 7 any of it's characters and/or references.

Sorry for this chapter taking so long, I'm supposed to have at least two or three more chapters of this fic here already, sorry.

**Chapter 4:**

…_Prelude…_

Cloud and Tifa had gotten up early in order to prepare for their journey to Costa del Sol, at first Cloud had tried calling Cid to see if he could pick them up with the Highwind but unfortunately all calls made went unanswered. Tifa saw Cloud's enthusiasm, though he tried to hide it, she saw right through it, of course this also brought about a familiar fear. She did her best not to think about it, it was Cloud after all, since they couldn't get in touch with Cid and Cloud wanting to arrive before the opening ceremony they did the next thing they could think off, they rented a car.

Cloud had spent most of the morning packing and getting ready for the trip, Tifa had been in the kitchen preparing the meals they would eat on their journey. As she did this she couldn't help but appreciate how things had matured, it seemed to be becoming natural for both Cloud and herself to be living together, if only he know about the child that was growing inside of her. At the thought of this she couldn't help but rub her hand over her still flat stomach.

Finally everything was ready and after closing their house they both took off towards Costa del Sol. The car they rented wasn't very lavish, it was similar to the one they used during their travels which meant it had a lot of space. Cloud was in the driver's seat and Tifa sitting beside him. They journeyed in the company of each other's silence, as they came ever closer to their destination however Tifa was becoming more and more nervous the farther they progressed. There was a strange looming sensation she was feeling, she couldn't explain it, it was like a premonition that something either bad or good was ahead of them. Her troubled expression however didn't go unnoticed; soon Cloud pulled the car aside for them to have a break.

Tifa got out of the car and went to the rear, Cloud followed her, she opened a large plastic container and took out to halves of sandwiches she had made, she gave Cloud one and kept the other. The blond-haired male took it gently from her hand. She turned away from him as she started to eat; however as she did, she felt his arm comfortably rest on her shoulder.

"Are you feeling okay?" Cloud asked, "If you're feeling carsick, maybe you shouldn't eat."

Tifa turned to face Cloud, her lips curled into a smile but her eyes still had sorrow hidden behind them, "It's alright Cloud," Tifa replied, "It's not carsickness, I'm just a little overwhelmed that's all."

"Overwhelmed?" Cloud had both concern and sincerity in his voice.

"Yes it's just everything that's happened in the past month, things are just going really fast," Tifa explained, as she finished she turned away from him and brought one hand and rested it on her exposed stomach.

Cloud could see Tifa was deep in thought, trying to find of a way to comfort her, she stepped closer. Tifa was surprised when she felt his hand snake its way around her waist.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Don't worry about it," He spoke softly into her ear.

The vibration of his voice sent shivers down her spine, briefly quelling the desire she had for him. He released his grip on her and turned her to face him.

"Tifa, if you want we don't have to go, we can turn back around and head back to Icicle Inn right now," he told her.

Tifa shook her head in opposition, even if they did go back, a part of Cloud would still want to be at the tournament, but still the kind gesture he made helped to lighten her mood. Tifa moved away from him and walked back to the passenger side.

"Don't just stand there, hurry up or we'll be late!" Tifa nearly shouted.

Cloud smiled inwardly, he was glad she agreed to continue the journey, a part of him was like a child on Christmas eve, he could barely wait to arrive at Costa del sol and enter into the tournament, but on the other hand he was also worried about his female companion, and the worry far outweighed his anxiousness. He felt as if he had forced this decision upon her but now it seemed she approved. Cloud entered back into the car, Tifa was already comfortably seated in the seat next to him. Once he started the car they continued their journey.

They had to cross a continent in order to reach Costa del sol, Cloud had stopped several times during the day for Tifa to get out and stretch her legs, however once nightfall came, he suggested getting an Inn but Tifa protested saying that they could drive through the night since it was only the both of them. She offered to take turns driving while the other slept, of course once she had fallen asleep Cloud didn't wake her back up, he had left her alone to her slumber and he drove through the night.

-------------

Tifa opened her eyes slowly, she felt something warm and fluffy beneath her, as well as a warm blanket over her, once her mind had registered she shot up quickly only to realize that she wasn't in the car they had both rented but in a well decorated Inn room. There were two beds in the room, both with thick white comforters, two windows on the wall next to her with red curtains in front of them. One of the doors opened and a shirtless Cloud came into the room, Tifa was still startled by the new scenery to take in the blond-haired warrior nakedness.

"Cloud, what's going on!?" Tifa proclaimed, "Why are we in an Inn?"

"Calm down Tifa," Cloud replied, "We reached here early this morning, so I rented us a room for the night."

"Here, you mean…" Tifa was cut off.

"Yeah we're in Costa del sol," the blue-eyed male finished.

"You drove all night!?" Tifa questioned.

Cloud replied by shaking his head. As they were speaking he had crept closer to her bed, now he was standing right beside her, as they finished he sat down next to her.

"How are you feeling?" Cloud asked.

Tifa shook her head, "I'm fine," She replied.

Cloud eyes had a hard time holding her gaze, they kept wandering all over her, he felt a little guilty at some of the places they went but tried his best to hide it, but one place where his eyes occasionally found themselves were her beautiful pink lips, he couldn't help himself, they looked both perfect and kissable. In fact it was taking all his self control right at this moment not to lean forward and taste them. Perhaps it was because he had tasted them once before and found them intoxicating that they held his attention so.

"Cloud are you listening to me?" Tifa questioned.

Cloud broke out of his trance and his eyes returned to hers, he fortunately didn't see the brief smirk in Tifa's lips when he snapped at attention.

"I asked when does registration begin?" Tifa asked.

"Oh sorry about that," Cloud replied awkwardly scratching the back of his head, "Today actually."

"Oh," Tifa replied, she got up off the bed, "I'll go get ready then we can go register."

Cloud misinterpreted Tifa's words and quickly replied: "huh? You're gonna register also?"

"No, no, no," Tifa quickly protested, maybe if she wasn't carrying their child in her womb she might have considered if, if for nothing else than to have an opportunity to fight against Cloud, but there was absolutely not chance she was partaking now, "I mean we'll go together to get you registered."

"Oh sorry," Cloud replied scratching the back of his head once again.

Tifa was finished in about half and hour and exited the bathroom completely dressed in her usual outfit; her usual white tank top and short back pants that reached to her knees as well her usual brown boots. Cloud was also finished dressed when she came out, in the SOLDIER uniform minus the large belt and shoulder guard they usually wore.

As they stepped outside the Inn they were both greeted by the harsh tropical sun, a stark contrast to their snowy home they had quickly grown accustomed to.

"Where do we have to go to register?" Tifa asked.

"There," Cloud replied pointing to a large circular foundation in the distance. Tifa shielded her eyes from the sun to look at the structure.

"hmm, did Dio build that?" Tifa asked.

"Seems that way," Cloud replied.

The blond-haired swordsman then took his female companion by her hand and started pulling her along with him. At first he jerked Tifa a bit, but Tifa quickly caught on and caught up easily, she couldn't help but smile; Cloud can act like such a child at times. The locals weren't as covered as Cloud was but dressed similarly to Tifa, in that they were few articles of clothing and they weren't very long or thick, but one thing Cloud didn't appreciation were the numerous amounts of glances that were directed at Tifa, Tifa however didn't seem to notice or maybe she did but didn't care, either way it still left a bad taste in Cloud's mouth, the sooner they reached their destination the better it would be. The streets were also more crowded than usual; this was due to the new coliseum tournament beginning shortly. Finally after navigating through the sea of people they both arrived at the entrance, however two armored guards in front the entrance stopped them.

"Halt!" One of guards shouted.

"What's your business here?" The other guard asked.

"We're here to see Dio," Cloud replied and he released Tifa's hand in the process.

"Name?" The guard asked.

"Cloud Strife," Cloud answered.

One of the guards moved closer to the other and whispered into him, "Is that him?"

"Well he certainly does match the description, but there's one way to make sure," the other guard replied. He then stepped forward and inspected Cloud closely, or more specifically Cloud's eyes, once he saw the green mako ring, he automatically backed off, "Yes that's definitely him," The guard whispered to his companion.

But the other guard was didn't heed his companion's words he was to busy staring at Tifa. Tifa felt awkward in such a position and hid behind Cloud.

"Alright," The first guard said, "Take the first staircase on the right and proceed straight up to reach Dio's lounge."

Cloud bowed briefly in respect and proceeded past him, Tifa followed, not bothering to acknowledge the guard who was still staring her down. Following the directions given they soon arrived in front of the lounge door. Slowly Cloud opened the door, when they entered they were greeted by a sight they didn't expect. In front of then several other members of Crisis Avalanche sat. There were two sofas running parallel to each other Barret and Cid sat on one sofa, Yuffie was on the other, in between both sofas was a glass coffee table, Red XIII sat at the north side, Vincent was propped up against a wall with his head lowered and eyes closed.

"What?" Cloud asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Glad you can make it spiky," Barret immediately spoke.

"Oh welcome, we were wondering if you were going to come," A new voice said but with an annoying accent.

Cloud and Tifa looked ahead to see a well built man in his early forties and barely dressed standing at the north end of the room.

"Dio?" Cloud asked calmly in his usual calm voice.

"Ahh, Cloud, the guest-of-honor, you may have passed last time, but this time it's different, you won't be competing against monsters but other competitors," Dio explained.

"What!?" Tifa exclaimed.

"That's right and two of your fellow members of Crisis Avalanche have already registered," Dio went on to explain.

Barret stood up and brought up his new gun arm, except it was different from a normal gun arm, in that it appeared like an artificial metal arm, Vincent responded by nodding.

"Guys?" Cloud asked.

"Guess we'll be seeing ya in the tournament," Barret commented.

"Barret? And Vincent too?" Tifa asked, "Just how many people are in this tournament?"

"All who pass the qualifications, I've even heard that some were former members of SOLDIER," Dio went on to explain.

This statement immediately caught Cloud's attention, "SOLDIER?" He asked.

But the word didn't only reach Cloud's ear, it reached everyone in the room, but they all hid their true emotions. Tifa however hid hers the best she could, the more she kept hearing the more she grew to dislike this new tournament.

"Well, Cloud I take it you would be participating in it as well?" Dio asked.

Cloud shook his head, his way to saying yes.

"Good, good, well then I'll leave you all to get reacquainted, remember this 1st ever tournament starts in one week, so train and rest all you can, cause once it begins one only one will be crowned victor," Dio explained.

Everyone took in the explanation in silence, all lost in their own thoughts, Tifa's however were the most disturbed and filled with the most worry, she didn't want Cloud to participate in the fight now more than ever, after everything she heard it sounded dangerous too dangerous, it made her faith in him waver. The thought of him being injured and leaving her behind was too great. She tried no to dwell on it but they fear from what she heard kept manifesting them. How would she go on without him? And since when was she so dependent on him? She had not always been like this, she was always independent and outgoing, but when it came to Cloud…when it came to the spiky-haired, cerulean-eyed boy, things always changed...she always changed; she had once abandoned all of her friends and also their journey to stay by his side even though there was a great chance he would never recover. Just to be near him, to feel his presence filled her with an unexplainable bliss and comfort, he also made her weak, robbed her of her strength and Tifa hated the person she became when she was around him, it wasn't her, she wasn't some love-sick school girl; though her actions proved the opposite.

And now with this dangerous tournament on the horizon, and another week she had to wait…time was passing quickly too quickly, eventually they would all know one way or another. She had to tell Cloud, she always forged the resolve before talking to him, but whenever she confronted him, it would always weaken like a sharpened blade becoming rusted.

'Since when did I become such a coward?' The ruby-eyed, raven-haired beauty thought to herself.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Again sorry for the delay, I finished this chapter a while back, but well it got hung up, I'm supposed to have more chapters finished but things have just been a spiderweb recently and it's really killing my drive to write, I'm trying to overcome that problem. But anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to get the next out sooner but no promises. So tell me what do you think? 


	5. The Road Ahead

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters and/or references

**Chapter 5:**

…_The Road Ahead…_

Tifa wasn't surprised when she awoke and found that Cloud wasn't there. Though she wished he would have woken her to tell her he was going out. She sat up from her bed and looked around the small inn room; none of Cloud's gear was present. Her hand moved to rest on her stomach and gently patted it.

"Soon," she spoke softly to herself.

The days were passing by quickly, soon she would start showing, soon she would be responsible for bringing a child into the world and raising it, though part of her was overjoyed another part was scared. She kept wondering if she could raise a child, she didn't know anything about motherhood and she also knew that raising it would appear to look like a bed of roses but those roses also had thorns that would make it uncomfortable.

The inn room that Cloud and herself stayed in was only two rooms, a bedroom and a bathroom, the bedroom had two small beds, one for each, there was also two small windows along one of the walls parallel to where the beds were. They had gotten the room for a fairly reasonable price and were planning to stay here for the duration of their trip.

She arose from the bed and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her, about half an hour later she emerged fully dressed. Tifa had already made plans for the day; she had agreed to accompany Yuffie to the shopping center to help her find new rare materia. It took her only about an hour to find her way there, but Yuffie was nowhere to be found, deciding to kill some time she took up the option to look around, maybe she could even find something interesting she wanted.

Though the center was crowded Tifa had no trouble navigating herself or visiting the different shops, there was one in particular that caught her eye and made her stop in her tracks, she peered through the window and the first object she saw on display was a baby's crib. Her hand once again sub-consciously patted her stomach and without even knowing her feet ventured into the store until she was standing next to the crib. It wasn't very extravagant, just a plain white crib. Tifa's hand traced along the top of the crib as she peered down into it, it was empty now but eventually it would be holding her child, both Cloud's and her's. She could almost picture it laying there, smiling up at her with large blue innocent eyes just like his or her father's.

"Excuse me," a female voice interrupted Tifa from her trance, the long raven-haired female quickly turned around to face another woman. Slightly shorter with short brown hair and brown eyes, "Can I help you?" the woman asked.

Tifa was slightly startled but brushed it off by nodding her head, "no I was just browsing," She replied before turning to leave however before she stepped out the door she turned back one final time to glance at the crib.

As she ventured away from the store the crib remained in her mind, the memory of her passing her hand along the crib still present in her mind but that train of thought was soon interrupted when she saw Yuffie scanning through the crowd trying to find her. Finally though Yuffie made out Tifa and waved over to her, Tifa nodded her head acknowledging Yuffie and walked over to her.

"Hey," the young ninja greeted as she ran over and hugged Tifa.

"Ouch, hey Yuffie ease up," Tifa replied slightly surprised as Yuffie's forwardness.

Yuffie released and smiled at Tifa; Yuffie was still the same, with her short black hair, green top and khaki short pants.

"Where've you been?" Yuffie asked.

"Out looking for you," Tifa answered with a smile on her face, "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, Barret and Cid are at the tavern, along with Reeve and Cait, Vincent, Red XIII and Cloud have disappeared," Yuffie summarized.

"Nanaki also?" Tifa asked slightly confused.

"Yeah he left early this morning, said he and Cloud had some things to take care off," Yuffie explained.

Her last statement was of great interest to Tifa, Cloud had not mentioned anything of going with Red XIII today, her mind couldn't help but dwell on the various possibilities of why. Unfortunately she couldn't dwell for long because Yuffie interrupted again.

"Anyway as special guests of honor at the coliseum opening we got special seats, come on, Dio wants to show us the coliseum, let's get everyone and go see," Yuffie said as she grabbed Tifa's hand and slightly jerked her forward, Tifa stumbled a step but quickly regained herself only to find that Yuffie was pulling her through the crowd.

"Hold on Yuffie, I thought you wanted to go materia shopping?" Tifa asked.

"Already checked all the materia stores, only common ones, nothing of real interest," Yuffie replied.

Tifa was finally able to catch up with Yuffie so she wasn't pulling her but now guiding her, part of her mind was still questioning why Cloud had gone with Nanaki, and why he didn't tell her, if he didn't tell her then it must be important…and so her thoughts only became more and more serious.

-------------

Cloud was laying on a metal slab, angled at 45 degrees to the ground, there were two brown straps around his body that held him to the slab. His eyes here closed and his shirt and boots were missing, he was only dressed in his long dark pants. His eyes were half open, half closed. In the small room that held him there was one bright light over him, the rest of the room was nestled in darkness except for the slight glow of computer monitors which provided little light. There were also many forms of various electronic equipment in the room. Cloud was also not alone there there were at least two others from the brustling sounds.

The blond-haired warrior could vaguely make out the flash of red from his tired eyes as it seemed to circle him. Walking around the room a large catlike creature with red fur paced nervously.

"Grandfather are you finished yet?" The creature asked.

At the far end of the room, behind a computer monitor a response came, "Almost Nanaki, your friend's condition seems to have worsened," it was the voice of an old man.

Nanaki came in front of Cloud standing on all fours so the cerulean-eyed warrior could see him clearly, "Cloud have you been using heal materia?" Nanaki asked.

Cloud simply nodded his head answering the question. Nanaki sighed, "Cloud you know using materia only worsens your condition," the red-furred beast said sympathetically.

"That's it, I'm finished," The old man said from the far end of the room, "Nanaki you can take down Cloud now."

Using his claws Nanaki was able to cut the straps holding Cloud, he fell forward but was caught by Nanaki and he was able to land on Nanaki's back. Cloud stayed there for a few seconds regaining his strength. After a few minutes he was able to stand on his own again. The sole light that was above the metal slab had been dimmed severely and the whole room was now visible and other lights came on. Approaching Cloud and Nanaki was an old bearded man with a long yellow robe covering his entire body even his feet and the robe dragged on the floor as he came closer. He moved with such ease and at a steady pace it appeared as if he was floating on air.

"Bugenhagen," Cloud said addressing the old man, "What's happening?"

"Your condition is worsening, and not the symptom, it's the mako in your body, at this rate….your body…." Bugenhagen didn't need to finish.

Cloud had finished getting dressed putting back on his shirt and his brown boots, he stood facing his two companions, "So, there's no hope?" Cloud asked softly.

"I'm still researching the effects of mako on the body, and how they conflict with different types," Bugenhagen began, "all I need is a little more time."

"Cloud, grandfather is close to a breakthrough, just be patient we'll find a way to cure you, in the mean time I think you should avoid Dio's new tournament," Nanaki suggested.

"Thanks for your concern Red," Cloud said softly with his head lowered and he turned towards the exit, "but I can't back out now."

"Listen I know winning this tournament probably means a lot to you, but think about everyone else, you're shortening your lifespan," Nanaki seemed to be pleading with him, "Just give us some more time."

"I've not given up hope yet…" Cloud replied in his silent tone, his body facing away from them and his head still lowered.

"Then take it easy, just a little bit more, think about Tifa and…" Nanaki was cut off.

"That's enough Nanaki," Bugenhagen interrupted, "I'm sure Cloud knows about the price he has to pay and the effects it will take on everyone close to him, he already knows how this will affect everyone but his decision has already been made."

"Thanks for your help Bugenhagen," Cloud finished before opening the door and walking away.

-------------

Tifa was impressed at the scope of the coliseum, it appeared as if it could hold thousands of people and that was only at the main viewing area from where the fights would be viewed. Below that there were dozens of sub levels each serving a different purpose.

"Ah and here is where we shall all be watching the tournament," the speedo wearing Dio said referring to a small box shaped area at the highest point of the viewing area. It was isolated from where the rest of the crowd would reside and even the VIP section, "Ah and that's not the best part yet."

With a wave of his hand one large screen came up from the ground in front all the seats, it was a large screen that stretched from one end of the room to the next, on display were a close up of the ground level of the coliseum.

"We can even see the action from the ground floor straight," Dio said.

Tifa and the rest of the Avalanche crew was very impressed with the building that Dio had built, he briefly allowed her to take her mind off her worries but even when she was dwelling on the coliseum the thought of Cloud fighting alone caused her to fear. At least when she fought alongside him, she had less to worry about as she could heal him and aid him, whenever they fought together she didn't worry, she felt as if they were invincible but now with him alone, she felt that he was weak and vulnerable.

A light tap on her left shoulder rescued her from her depressing thoughts, she quickly turned in that direction to see no one there, and then she snapped her head around in the opposite direction to see Cloud standing beside her, his face trying to hold back a grin.

"I know that was you Strife," Tifa spoke in a somewhat annoyed and playful voice.

Cloud turned to her, he couldn't help but smirk, whenever given these opportunities he couldn't help but tease her, even if it was somewhat childish, the fact that she fell for it every time and became annoyed appealed to him.

"What Tif, I just got here," Cloud answered trying to appear calm.

"I'll get you one of these days," Tifa answered back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cloud replied trying his best to maintain his composure.

Cloud smiled at her as she smiled back, "So where were you today?" Tifa asked, "And where's Red, Yuffie said she heard Red saying that he was going out with you?"

The blond-haired swordsman hated what he was going to do but he dare not tell Tifa the truth, it would only cause her to worry and that was the last thing he wanted.

"We just went out to train," Cloud said softly, he knew he was lying to her and if she believed him he would hate himself even more that he already did, he never imagined in all his life he would fabricate false truth to Tifa. It made him sick just doing it but he held on to the belief that it was for her own good and protection.

"Oh, ok then, but next time please tell me," Tifa replied smiling.

Cloud nodded his head, she believed him, he felt rotten, he had broken her trust, and he knew there was nothing he could say to make it up to her.

Tifa clenched her hands tightly, she wanted to tell him, how she wanted to tell him badly, but now was not the best time, she had to tell when he was alone. That would be the best time, part of her knew Cloud wouldn't be angry or upset at her becoming pregnant but the wall between them caused her to halt her tongue and made the burning feeling that she was betraying him become stronger. There were just too many things on her mind that made her become nervous.

To Be Contined…

* * *

Alright it's been some time since my last update, sorry about that, but I'm in my final year of college, so you can guess how hectic things are. Well at this point I'd say something like I'd get the next chapters out sooner, but I don't want to make any empty promises, I'll try but that's the best I can do. Thanks to all who reviewed and red my story, there's still more to come. If you enjoyed this chapter give me some feedback. 


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